All posts by Michelle Rene Goodhew

The terminator: where perpetual day meets perpetual night on the exoplanet TRAPPIST-1f.Photo: NASA

The universe is big and, while we may be able to explore it in depth in the future, we can’t yet see a lot of it up-close. Scientists make inferences about an exoplanet’s finer details from larger observations, using what they know about how space works, but we can never know for sure what that planet is like until we land on it and walk around. That’s where artists come in: They show us what is out there as best as they can, helping us to imagine our greater universe. Here are examples of the most eye-opening work they’ve done for NASA.

Where Ice Meets Water

The surface of the exoplanet Trappist-1f looks like a place where a supervillain would live. This photo actually depicts a place called the “terminator” — no relation to the cyborg from the Arnold Schwarzenegger films — where the daytime side of the planet meets the nighttime side. Trappist-1f, like all the other planets in that solar system, orbits its star in such a way that the same side is always facing light and heat, and the other side is in perpetual darkness. While there could be water on the warmer side, the dark side of the planet could be icy.

This planet is part of the Trappist-1 system, a star and seven rocky planets in the constellation Aquarius, about 40 light years from Earth, that scientists recently discovered. The planets are so close together that aliens on each planet would be able to see the skies of the others.

A New Civilization on Mars

A Mars colony will need workers of all kinds.Photo: NASA

As humans search for alien life in the universe and seek to land on and explore other planets, Mars is a huge target. It is Earth’s closest neighbor, other than the moon, and scientists believe basic life forms could have once thrived on the planet before its atmosphere thinned out and Mars dried up and cooled off.

These two posters, part of a series, are simple but they can get people fired up about the prospect of exploring and even building a space colony on another world, which astrophysicist Stephen Hawking says we have to do in the next 100 years if humans want to have a prayer of avoiding extinction. A full colony would need experts like engineers and doctors, sure, but also people to teach the colony’s children about Mars’ moons Phobos and Deimos and do other community tasks.

The center of the galaxy

Black holes are famous for sucking, and they can tear you into a stream of atoms without even breaking a sweat.Photo: NASA

Supermassive black holes suck, but in a cool way. They have such an enormous mass packed into such a small space that their gravitational pull is too strong for even light to escape them. These dense objects are millions of times more massive than the sun and lie at the centers of galaxies, destroying anything that comes too close by ripping it into a stream of particles. But as it consumes life, it also gives it: Scientists have found evidence that new stars form within the galactic outflows, powerful winds of gas the supermassive black hole blows out.

A vision of the future

Will humans one day be able to explore the solar system like they would a foreign country?Photo: NASA

If we want to see amazing things in outer space, we don’t have to leave our solar system. These three posters from the Visions of the Future series depict the gas giant Jupiter and two moons of Saturn, Titan, and Enceladus — and humans getting spectacular views of their natural beauty.

Enceladus is special particularly now because NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has detected hydrogen coming from that moon, which certain life forms could use as a source of energy. Added to the heat source beneath its icy surface and it could have the ingredients to support alien life.

The next frontier

A space colony imagined in the 1970s comes complete with trees and patio decks.Photo: Rick Guidice/NASA

What is life like in a doughnut-shaped space colony? This work from the 1970s, one of a series by various artists, imagines it like a suburban haven in the heavens, including patio decks, trees, skylights and tennis courts.

It’s possible a future human colony somewhere other than Earth would be built in space, but most of the talk today focuses on Mars and other planets. If that planet is far away, however, humans will have to make themselves comfortable on the spaceship trip over, and this doesn’t look like a bad way to travel.

A planet born from dust

Life on a gas giant forming in a young solar system would look up at the night sky and see more dust than stars.Photo: NASA

This artist imagined what an early solar system would look like as it grows, including a cloudy planet at least as large as Jupiter forming from the dust around its star, complete with a ring of dust and ice. “If we were to visit a planet like this, we would have a very different view of the universe,” NASA says. “The sky, instead of being the familiar dark expanse lit by distant stars, would be dominated by the thick disc of dust that fills this young planetary system.”

A land of three suns

This moon orbits a planet that is in a solar system with three stars instead of one.Photo: NASA

Are three suns better than one? After astronomers for the first time found a planet within a triple-star system — in which three stars orbit the same point — an artist imagined what it would look like to live there. This view, NASA says, is from “a hypothetical moon in orbit” around that planet, a gas giant just a little bit more massive than Jupiter.

To be sure, Earth is facing some big problems, including climate change, overpopulation, epidemics, and asteroid strikes. But before we flee this planet like an action hero jumping out of an explosion, let’s think about this for a second. Sure, it’d be great to have a backup civilization somewhere in case asteroids wipe out all life on Earth. And it would be one of the most exciting things humankind has ever done. But what would it actually require?

Finding a second home for humanity

Mars is a somewhat obvious choice because it’s nearby, but it’s not exactly Earth 2.0. In fact, it’s arguably a lot worse off than Earth. It has toxic soil, it’s freezing cold, and the air is unbreathable. Any Martian colony would likely rely on regular care packages from home, which would not work well if Earth was done-zo.

If we really want to find the perfect home away from home, we could look to other star systems: with billions of planets in the Milky Way, there’s a good chance some will have water, land, and breathable air. But so far we haven’t found Earth’s twin, and our telescopes don’t have the kind of resolution that could tell us in detail what an exoplanet is like. Also, it would take hundreds of years to get there, and if those passengers don’t die along the way, they’d likely evolve into a new species before they even got to their new planet.

Bringing enough people

We would need to send significant numbers of people to other worlds in order to ensure the survival of the human species. Small colonies are subject to genetic anomalies from inbreeding, and vulnerable to getting wiped out in accidents.

NASA’s missions to Mars will likely only carry as many as six people at a time to the red planet. SpaceX wants to develop an Interplanetary Transport System to deliver 100 Martian settlers at a time, but at the moment it is nothing more than an imaginary behemoth.

The interstellar route is even more challenging because we don’t even have an imaginary spacecraft capable of supporting thousands of people for hundreds of years on an interstellar journey.

And in either case, there’s always the politically charged question of: who goes and who stays? Do poor and disadvantaged people get left behind on a hellish world?

Making ourselves at home

If we really want to thrive on another planet, we’ll probably have to adapt the environment to suit our needs. Sure, we might be able to terraform Mars, but it would take about 100,000 years for its atmosphere to become breathable. Hope you’re not in a rush to go outdoors without a gas mask anytime soon.

Paying for it

NASA’s Journey to Mars is expected to cost up to $1.5 trillion. And that’s just for the first crews. Later on, launches bringing settlers and supplies to the colony would probably still cost hundreds of millions of dollars each.

And SpaceX’s plan to build the Interplanetary Transport System sounds great, but CEO Elon Musk has been very open about saying the company has no idea how it would pay for such a vessel.

And exactly who would pay to colonize Mars? Why would the U.S. government spend all that money to sustain a colony? What would we get out of it, besides better chances for the survival of our species? Will the Martian colony produce valuable exports, besides the (obviously awesome) scientific discoveries that would come out of it?

Surely there are a few wealthy Earthlings willing to pay millions of dollars each for a ride to and a habitat on an alien world, but the majority of folks who want to go to the red planet hope to come home afterward.

Solving the problems that are killing Earth

History has a tendency to repeat itself. Even if we do successfully colonize another planet, we’ll still have to solve all the problems that Earth currently faces. Our technologies are just as likely to destroy the environment on other planets, and epidemics and asteroids could wipe out a Martian settlement much easier than they could obliterate the entire population of Earth.

The television show that Stephen Hawking is promoting is all about how human ingenuity is solving the challenges of colonizing Mars. Well, surely if we can figure out how to survive on a completely alien world, then we can figure out how to survive in our own home -possibly a lot more easily and cheaply than the alternative.

Like this:

Klaus Dona comes from the art world. As Art Exhibition Curator for the Habsburg Haus of Austria, Klaus has organized exhibitions world wide.

With this background his approach to archeology is unconventional. He has traveled the world in search of unique and unexplained findings. Intrepid and unrelenting, he is on a mission to bring to the eye of the public such finds as giant bones, crystal skulls, carvings and sculptures in forms that do not fit into the contemporary view of our timeline.

It’s a real reminder of how little we know about what our history really is. These are important pieces of an important puzzle and you’re doing an enormous amount to raise peoples’ awareness of what it is that we’re not shown in many museums, what it is that we don’t read in anthropological textbooks, and what it is that many university professors still refuse to recognize.

Truth is stranger than fiction, because this is all we’ve been taught..

Like this:

In today’s world we are so often reminded of how, through our intention, we have the ability to manifest our destiny. That with clear vision, faith, and by employing an act as if attitude, the universe will magically open up and bestow its riches upon us. But most of us simply find it difficult to break the monotony of the day to day grind or the constant barrage by the voice that resides within us. We batter and bruise ourselves throughout each hour of each day telling ourselves stories about how we are lacking. It is a struggle to maintain any real sense of our capability to manifest something let alone anything our hearts desire. We forget how powerful, graceful, and divine we truly are. Why say no, and why not are concepts that seem to elude us almost entirely. We lose our grip on the magic that surrounds us, the magic which enables us to create the very lives we are living.

It is the strength within our perception of the world around us, and our self-perception that ultimately serve to shape our reality. There are steps we can take to improve our perception to include the gift of possibility more frequently throughout our days. We choose to focus our thoughts in any particular direction, and that direction shapes our perception and predicts our experiences from moment to moment. By implementing the following short list of daily rituals we empower ourselves with the possibility for better or more rewarding experiences.

Practice Daily Gratitude:

Take time every morning and every evening to give thanks. Start a journal that you will write down at least three things you are thankful for right after you wake up in the morning. These should not be things you feel you should be grateful for, but things that you truly are grateful for, no matter how big or small, then do the same ritual right before you go to bed at night. By practicing this ritual you are setting the stage for your day from a positive perspective by choosing to reflect on positive things. By practicing gratitude, you remind yourself of what is working in your life, shifting your thought patterns toward a more positive light. You are also enjoying a sense of abundance and more will be drawn to you.

Take a Time-Out:

It is important that we take at least ten to twenty minutes a day to be alone and reconnect with ourselves. This is meant to be quiet time that you use to connect to your higher self, reminding yourself of why you are valued and what you are capable of. This is a moment to find peace and tranquility with the real you. This will strengthen your spirit and reinforce your positive frame of mind.

Focused Thinking through Journaling:

Keep a journal of what you truly desire from any given scenario or aspect of your life and write in the journal daily. This will aid you in setting clear personal boundaries and prevent you from bringing negative situations into your life. Focused thinking will also strengthen your determination and encourages you to think outside the box, allowing for more opportunities to present themselves to you. This practice will empower you as you become clearer and clearer on what you do and do not want. Your sense of self-worth will improve and your drive and motivation will also increase.

Give to Others:

The act of giving or doing for others brings a feeling of balance and wellbeing to your heart. It enriches your experience of life to bring happiness to others. The act of giving reminds you that you are worthy and valuable. Your sense of self-worth increases dramatically when you perform the act of giving.

Practicing these rituals on a daily basis will train your thoughts to stay focused on possibility and keep you in a positive mindset, effectively allowing abundance to find you. By the repetitive action of the steps listed above you are going about the building of a better life for yourself that will be more fulfilling than it would otherwise.

The Mystic Sparrow, Ali Oppy, is an artist from New Zealand. They have a passion for the fantasy side of things,where they are only limited by their imagination. They love the challenge of creating where fantasy has no boundaries. Waterfalls of all fantasy kinds are their passion,so you see a lot of those when browsing their galleries.
“My father was very supportive of my artwork,as well as my most dedicated promoter,to the point,that even a few days to him passing he was promoting my artwork to the nurses and doctors that worked in the nursing home. When my dad passed away i decided to use the name Mystic Sparrow as a dedication to him . My other hobby is spray paint art which i named after my husband Daron aka (Dart) A big thank you to my mum for her support in my art.”

More art by the Mystic Sparrow…

Cobra Falls by Ali OppyHaunted Flight by Ali Oppy

Second and Third Place Winner

Sunshine Flower by Hazel HollandA Flower For You by Hazel Holland

About Hazel Holland

“I grew up in the United Kingdom, and immigrated to the USA when I was 19. After attending several different colleges over a number of years, I finally received my BA degree and began teaching children with special needs. However before I got my teaching degree I was a substitute teacher, and got hired to teach art classes in an elementary school in Southern California.

The goal of this pilot program was to determine what kind of impact creative expression might have on the academic lives of elementary school students. For six months I taught children how to enhance their drawing and painting skills by providing a nurturing, fun, and supportive environment. My goal was to empower these children through their creativity, and in turn improve their self confidence and self esteem…

After several weeks of working with these students, a number of teachers from other classes began seeking me out. They wanted to let me know of the changes that were taking place in many of their students. The grades of failing students began to improve. Shy students began to volunteer answers. Students with behavior problems seemed calmer, and more able to control their emotions. Classrooms were becoming a more peaceful place, because students were treating each other with more respect and kindness.

What I learned from these students was life-changing! By providing a safe and caring outlet for self-expression, children of various ages were able to not only access their creativity, but also able to slowly work through academic and behavioral problems, along with some very difficult issues in their personal lives.

After seeing the amazing impact that my teaching of “Art from the Heart” had on the lives of children, I decided that I wanted to not only continue to make a difference in the lives of children, but also in the elderly population—seniors in assisted living facilities who are often forgotten, but have lessons to teach us from the “school of life”. Just as every season has its own time and beauty, so every season in our lives has lessons to teach us about the inner beauty of a person that far outweighs their outer frailties.

So after retiring as a Special Education teacher, I finally moved away from Southern California to live near my two wonderful grandchildren in Idaho. Besides tutoring children online with their homework, I enjoy teaching art classes at the Senior Center and an assisted living facility in the area. I’ve found that teaching art to the elderly helps them not only age with grace, but also provides them with an opportunity to express themselves creatively. What better way to face the challenges that lie ahead of us than to paint a picture of what is in our hearts today.

Also, I’m hoping to lend some of my Art Work to the children’s ward of the hospital here in town for a display. I think it would be a nice way to bless the children and their families, and perhaps even the nurses, too, with encouraging and beautiful messages of hope through art.♥”

Yes, summer is the perfect time to relax and recharge. But, it’s also the perfect time to pick up a few new skills. Put that relaxed brain (and work schedule) to good use! How accomplished would you feel if, when September rolls around, you could open up your resume and add another skill to it? Very, we’re guessing.

Before you start stressing, know that we’re not asking you to sacrifice your summer nights to a droning professor, Instead, we’re suggesting devoting a few hours every week to advancing your career with an online class. (Online equals your couch and your sweats and an optional glass of wine.)

To make the process easier for you, we did two things. One, we only chose classes you can complete in less than 10 weeks (with some that can be completed in an hour). Two, we hand-curated this list to ensure it’s only courses that are valuable and interesting. The best part? All of them are free.

So, with no further ado, here are 43 classes you can sign up for today.

Programming

As of Fall 2014, the on-campus version of this course was the largest at Harvard. You’ll learn how to think algorithmically, solve programming problems efficiently, and become familiar with a number of languages including CSS, HTML, and PHP. The class is free, but you can add a HarvardX Verified Certificate for $90.

This course aims to help students develop high-quality, working software that solves real problems. Materials are designed for students with some programming experience, but if you have none and are motivated you will do fine.

No programming experience? No worries—“Programming for Everybody” is designed to be a first coding class and avoids all but the simplest mathematics. Anyone with moderate computer experience should be able to master the materials in this course.

Dash teaches HTML, CSS, and JavaScript by giving you step-by-step instructions on creating fun websites. We gave it a go, and loved how the user workspace lets you see the output of your code in real time.

This four-week course provides a fast-paced introduction to C and C++ programming languages. You’ll learn the required background knowledge, including memory management, pointers, object-oriented programming, and how to find bugs when you inevitably use any of those incorrectly.

Design

This tutorial for beginners will teach you the fundamentals of Adobe Photoshop with easy-to-follow, practical examples. You’ll learn how to set up your work environment and perform the various editing functions that the program offers.

Want to create amazing graphics? This course first teaches you basic Illustrator techniques, then progresses on to more advanced topics such as types and panels, colors and patterns, and perspective and automation.

This course instructs you in how to use the powerful tools and techniques available in InDesign for creating high-quality layouts. You’ll gain the necessary skills to work with graphics and tables, add color and effects, and even make your layout interactive.

Why is that logo appealing? Why does that poster stand out? In this course, you’ll learn the theory behind creating attention-grabbing visuals and understand the basic principles and elements of design.

Master image manipulation and photographic re-touching with this course. You’ll be guided through the Photoshop user interface and acquire the basic techniques for editing and enhancing your photographs.

Level: Beginner

Duration: 2 Hours / 8 Lessons

Online Marketing

Learn the basics of social media in just two minutes a day with Buffer’s week-long email class. You’ll master everything from establishing a tone for your social media posts to understanding online marketing analytics.

Want to hear about how email marketing, blogging, and Facebook can create a business page that gets noticed by customers? If so, then this course is for you. Upon completion, you’ll understand the ins and outs of affiliate marketing and know the different methods that help increase traffic.

Copyblogger presents a systematic and simple approach to implementing effective online marketing with this email course. By registering, you’ll also score instant access to 14 ebooks on content marketing, copywriting, keyword research, and many more topics.

Created by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, this course examines how digital tools—such as smartphones, the internet, and 3D printing—are revolutionizing the world of marketing. It’ll teach you how to use these tools to persuade customers to buy, distribute, and set the right prices for your products.

This training class will help you master the basics of Google Analytics and understand how to turbocharge your website performance. Apart from being able to interpret data, you’ll learn to translate the raw data into actionable insights.

If you’re struggling to meet your email marketing goals, look no further than HubSpot’s video series. The videos demonstrate everything from growing more effective organic email lists to achieving a higher open rate to strengthening your lead nurturing.

Level: Beginner

Duration: 5 Lessons

Communication

Think networking is more than a little intimidating? This email-based class could change your mind and turn you from a fearful networker to a fearless one. You’ll gain the communication skills crucial to networking, from perfecting your elevator pitch to making (smart) small talk with anyone.

Designed by the University of Washington, this course aims to help you become a more effective and confident public speaker. You’ll learn to design and deliver basic arguments, informative presentations, and persuasive, complex arguments all within 10 weeks.

Negotiation is the key to business success—after all, no business can survive without profitable contracts. After you finish this University of Michigan course (complete with interactive videos and a free app), you’ll know how to successfully negotiate.

Far too frequently, the people who have the most to say have the hardest time saying it. Geared toward experts (scientists, engineers, and other technical professionals), this course will help you effectively communicate with non-scientists to inform organizational decision-making. The class is free, but you can add a PurdueX Verified Certificate for $50.

Professional speechwriter Brent Kerrigan has crafted 10 articles designed to help beginners write better speeches. Some of the articles include, “How to Write for the Ear (Not the Eye)” and “One Speech Structure to Rule Them All.” Sign up and you’ll receive one new article each week.

Level: All Levels

Duration: 10 Lessons

Entrepreneurship

Initially given at Stanford in Fall 2014, this lecture designed by Y Combinator’s president Sam Altman features exceptional entrepreneurs like PayPal’s Peter Thiel, LinkedIn’s Reid Hoffman, and Airbnb’s Brian Chesky. You’ll learn the basics of user growth, fundraising, operations and management, and much more.

This University of Maryland course is created for aspiring and active entrepreneurs who want to understand how to secure funding for their company. Key questions answered within the four-week course include: “What kind of investors invest by stage and where to find them?” and “What are your fundraising options?”

Join almost 280,000 online students in learning the basics of the Customer Development Process. Silicon Valley serial entrepreneur Steve Blank provides insight into the key steps to building a successful startup, ranging from gathering and evaluating customer feedback to calculating the direct and indirect costs for delivering your product.

This course provides a basic understanding of legal issues that corporations face during their existence. “Law for the Entrepreneur and Manager” starts by providing the basic building blocks of business law. The second half of the course examines issues that include: intellectual property, international trade, business disputes, and bankruptcy and reorganization.

Taught in Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, this class teaches students how businesses behave when strategic decisions are interdependent. Using the basic tools of game theory, you’ll analyze how organizations choose strategies to attain competitive advantages.

Built by Google, this course aims to help you materialize your game-changing idea and transform it into a product that you can build a business around. The class blends theory and practice to teach you product validation, UI/UX practices, Google’s Design Sprint, and the process for setting and tracking actionable metrics.

New businesses often start as side projects. But starting side projects is difficult in itself. This three-day, email-based class created by career experts from The Muse and Squarespace walks you through the steps needed to hone in on your idea and get the project out to the world.

Level: All Levels

Duration: 3 Lessons

Writing

Originally given at the University of California Berkeley, this course focuses on writing in different disciplines—in science and technology, in literature, and in the social sciences. You’ll learn to craft statements of purpose and develop a professional writing style.

Understanding the difference between writing for print and writing for the web starts with reading up on how readers behave differently online. This course teaches you how to accommodate the needs of online readers through web design, writing style, structure, and search engine optimization.

Effective writing is a powerful tool in the business environment. Learn to articulate your thoughts in a clear and concise manner that’ll allow your ideas to be better understood by readers. This course will also teach you to notice, correct, and avoid the most common writing pitfalls.

With more than 20,000 students and over 120 five-star reviews, the “Secret Sauce” course teaches you to superpower your business writing—whether it’s for cover letters, press releases, or sales emails—and make your blogs appear a thousand times more professional. This course is meant for professionals hoping to upgrade their writing skills, as well as businesses hoping to improve their corporate communications.

An introduction to writing prose for an online audience, this class teaches you to write essays that critically engage elements and aspects of contemporary American popular culture—and do so with a vivid personal voice.

This class helps journalists and others understand the basics of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and AP style. Upon completing the course, you’ll be able to identify and solve grammatical problems in your copy, pick the right word when choosing between tricky pairs (is it “who” or “whom?”), and use the correct AP style for addresses, money, and numbers.

“Becoming Digital” traces the change in practice, theory, and possibility as mechanical and chemical media are augmented or supplanted by digital media. Students will work through and write about the ethical, aesthetic, technical, and cultural problems raised by primary and secondary readings.

Level: Beginner

Duration: 32 Hours / 21 Lessons

New Language

ALISON’s free online course is a series of engaging video lessons that introduces beginners to various aspects of the French language. After taking this course, you’ll be able to use a range of French vocabulary, understand past, present, and future verb tenses, and become skilled in conversational French.

Are you planning a trip to a Mandarin-speaking country, or have you always wanted to understand some common Mandarin phrases? Basic Mandarin is a great skill to add to your resume, as many of today’s global business meetings are conducted in Mandarin Chinese. In this class, you’ll learn basic phrases for everyday life as well as the proper “tones” in Mandarin. The course is free, but you can add a MandarinX Verified Certificate for $50.

By watching these video episodes, you’ll learn Spanish (and experience its cultural diversity) through a quality drama-filled story. In addition, you’ll listen to an audio program integrated with the text and workbook.

BBC’s language lesson includes nine short sections on everyday topics like ordering a meal, asking for directions, saying where you’re from, and checking in at a hotel. You can watch and listen to the clips and have a look at the transcripts for extra practice.

About The Author

A board member of Columbia Organization of Rising Entrepreneurs, Kat is either hosting inspiring founders or trekking across cities (Silicon Valley and London, anyone?) to discover the hottest startups. And, when she’s not putting together large-group gatherings for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Kat is planning food excursions to discover the best Taiwanese beef noodle soup in NYC. The only thing she loves almost as much as crafting content as an Editorial Intern at The Muse is studying content as an English Major at Columbia University. Say hi on Twitter @katxmoon.

In today’s world we are so often reminded of how, through our intention, we have the ability to manifest our destiny. That with clear vision, faith, and by employing an act as if attitude, the universe will magically open up and bestow its riches upon us. But most of us simply find it difficult to break the monotony of the day to day grind or the constant barrage by the voice that resides within us. We batter and bruise ourselves throughout each hour of each day telling ourselves stories about how we are lacking. It is a struggle to maintain any real sense of our capability to manifest something let alone anything our hearts desire. We forget how powerful, graceful, and divine we truly are. Why say no, and why not are concepts that seem to elude us almost entirely. We lose our grip on the magic that surrounds us, the magic which enables us to create the very lives we are living.

It is the strength within our perception of the world around us, and our self-perception that ultimately serve to shape our reality. There are steps we can take to improve our perception to include the gift of possibility more frequently throughout our days. We choose to focus our thoughts in any particular direction, and that direction shapes our perception and predicts our experiences from moment to moment. By implementing the following short list of daily rituals we empower ourselves with the possibility for better or more rewarding experiences.

Practice Daily Gratitude:

Take time every morning and every evening to give thanks. Start a journal that you will write down at least three things you are thankful for right after you wake up in the morning. These should not be things you feel you should be grateful for, but things that you truly are grateful for, no matter how big or small, then do the same ritual right before you go to bed at night. By practicing this ritual you are setting the stage for your day from a positive perspective by choosing to reflect on positive things. By practicing gratitude, you remind yourself of what is working in your life, shifting your thought patterns toward a more positive light. You are also enjoying a sense of abundance and more will be drawn to you.

Take a Time-Out:

It is important that we take at least ten to twenty minutes a day to be alone and reconnect with ourselves. This is meant to be quiet time that you use to connect to your higher self, reminding yourself of why you are valued and what you are capable of. This is a moment to find peace and tranquility with the real you. This will strengthen your spirit and reinforce your positive frame of mind.

Focused Thinking through Journaling:

Keep a journal of what you truly desire from any given scenario or aspect of your life and write in the journal daily. This will aid you in setting clear personal boundaries and prevent you from bringing negative situations into your life. Focused thinking will also strengthen your determination and encourages you to think outside the box, allowing for more opportunities to present themselves to you. This practice will empower you as you become clearer and clearer on what you do and do not want. Your sense of self-worth will improve and your drive and motivation will also increase.

Give to Others:

The act of giving or doing for others brings a feeling of balance and wellbeing to your heart. It enriches your experience of life to bring happiness to others. The act of giving reminds you that you are worthy and valuable. Your sense of self-worth increases dramatically when you perform the act of giving.

Practicing these rituals on a daily basis will train your thoughts to stay focused on possibility and keep you in a positive mindset, effectively allowing abundance to find you. By the repetitive action of the steps listed above you are going about the building of a better life for yourself that will be more fulfilling than it would otherwise be.

This month we will be focussing our thoughts on the trials and tribulations of self. No where will the work you do count more than the work you put into you, and we want to inspire your best self. Keep checking in all month long for new posts about balance, creativity, and other things like the power of perception. Most of the posts this month will have to do with helping you improve and become open to the power of possibility.

Wednesdays Visual Writing Prompt

Wednesdays hit mid-week when the stress in our lives is hopefully at it’s lowest point. We’ve managed the Monday Rush and the Tuesday catch-up, and are ready to breathe a little. Now is the perfect time to get your writing mind back in action!

If You Don’t Use It – You Lose It

It is important that you exercise your writing ability. There is always room for improvement, and with a regular schedule of flexing your creative writing habit, you could be just one writers prompt away from that New York Times best seller!

Use this prompt to think outside the box, to go somewhere with your writing that you had never dare go before. See what kind of magic you can work with that brilliant mind of yours. You are a story-teller so this should be a breeze.

Maybe you could use this prompt to add a scene to the current book you are writing. A picture like this can spark ideas you may never have considered.

The Rules

There aren’t really many rules, just enough to get your blog some attention and get new people interested in your writing or the current book you have to offer.

Write in any genre you like – poetry too

Tag this post in your post (share this post to your WordPress blog as a new post) so I can find you (it will ping back to this post), then I can check out your work, and promote you on my social sites.

If you want, when your done, Check which famous writer you write like with a statistical analysis tool, which analyzes your word choice and writing style and compares them with those of the famous writers. Just paste your completed work at I Write Like – You will be given a badge that says which famous author you write like and you can paste the html into the end of your Wednesday Visual Writers Prompt, if you like, to show us all your badge! AWESOME

You have until the following Tuesday to complete this writers prompt, then I will be posting a new one on the following day, next Wednesday.

If you have any suggestions for future Wednesday Visual Writing Prompts, please let me know in the comments 🙂

I look forward to reading your writing.

Michelle Rene

(if you post past the deadline I will do my best to read your work and share it on my social networks as time permits)